Victorian company F CUBED says it may have found the solution to the world’s water woes with the launch of a new modular, direct solar-powered desalination system branded as Carocell. The system, which has been 6 years in the making, produces potable water from seawater, groundwater, contaminated and polluted water.

Carocell units can be ground or roof-mounted and emit zero greenhouse gas emissions. The system uses no chemicals, filters or electronics and also enables rainfall to be captured and harvested. Disease-causing pathogens and heavy metals are removed during the purification process and minerals and salts are separated and can be reused as part of the supply chain.

“We have created the most cost-effective and highly efficient solar desalination system currently available on the world market,” said Stuart Eastaugh, F CUBED’s National Sales Manager.

“Independent tests reveal Carocell to be almost twice as efficient as comparable systems (65%-80% water yield per megajoule of energy when compared to 30-40%*) and significantly cheaper to purchase and install,” he said.

Carocell units are manufactured in different sizes and multiple panels can be connected together in order to produce large quantities of distilled water suitable for a small town or major commercial operation use, or a single panel can generate enough water for an average family’s use.

“As water demand increases, the number of panels can also be increased or decommissioned when no longer required. Most of Carocell’s components can then be refurbished or recycled, providing another level of sustainability to an already clean energy product,” he said.

The components, including custom designed steel framework manufactured from durable OneSteel Galvatube precision tubing, have a lifespan of 20 years or more for each system – even in the most challenging conditions, according to a company spokesman.

OneSteel’s Product Manager, George Kourtesis said that the strength and anti-corrosion properties of OneSteel’s Galvatube pre-galvanised tubing were critical factors when it came to F CUBED sourcing steel components for the construction of the Carocell modules.

“At the time of Carocell’s development we were working with F CUBED on a range of projects. The F CUBED team chose our Galvatube steel tubing based on the fact it is galvanised internally and externally and has been specifically designed for outdoor use where greater protection from corrosion is required,” Mr Kourtesis said.

“Additionally, Galvatube’s structural integrity is second to none. It can withstand the most challenging of environmental conditions, particularly those experienced in situations such as desalination plants or mining site.”

F CUBED said it is experiencing a high level of demand for its Carocell systems, including from governments and organisations wishing to provide safe water to developing countries along with industrial and mining industries, agriculture and horticulture operations, urban usage and as a replacement for bottled water.

“From one hectare of Carocell panels we can produce on average over 55,000 litres of pure, distilled drinking water a day,” Mr Eastaugh said.

“Our system is a combination of high-tech and low-tech processes and follows the same basic principles of the natural water cycle from evaporation and condensation. The system operates on a continuous flow of feed water. As the water moves over the solar collector, a percentage is evaporated to create distilled water and the remaining flow travels out as a brine stream. This brine stream can then be reprocessed, increasing in concentration before being directed to the zero liquid discharge unit.”